On any smartphone, having a camera with a 41-megapixel sensor would stand out, and that’s the claim to fame for the Nokia Lumia 1020. This Windows Phone handset carries much of the same design and functionality seen in previous Lumia models, but it’s the game-changing camera that truly carries the spotlight, given how much of a leap it takes compared to other competing smartphones.

On paper, the Lumia 1020 doesn’t come off as exceptional. It has a 4.5-inch 720p AMOLED display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 32GB of storage (with no expandable microSD slot). These specs wouldn’t win as far as speeds and feeds go, but that’s not really something that affects the phone’s overall performance when all is said and done. In fact, the best of the Lumia 920, which proved to be an impressive phone, is here in the 1020, along with better overall performance and a nicer display.

All of that plays second fiddle to the camera and its large 41-megapixel sensor — easily the largest of any smartphone on the market today. Now, of course, megapixels don’t define a camera’s true ability, as the number really isn’t the determining factor. It’s the lens and sensor that make photos what they turn out to be, and in that regard, the Lumia 1020 offers results that are impressive across the board.

Not that it’s hard to notice the camera to begin with, considering how prominent it is on the back. The lens has a shutter, which is unusual for smartphone cameras, and there is an optical image stabilization (OIS) at work to help reduce blurriness or focusing issues due to jittery hands. The sensor itself is larger than what compact digital cameras currently have. Hence, why the back has been designed to make room for it.

The dedicated camera shutter button on the side of the phone toward the bottom is the quickest method to get the camera started. Hold it down and you’re ready to shoot. By default, it goes to what is called “Pro Cam”, which is essentially a separate Nokia camera app within the phone. With a different interface that is more prosumer in design, the most important distinction it has is that it’s the only way to shoot and capture full-resolution images. It simultaneously saves a smaller 5-megapixel image as part of what’s called “downsampling”. In basic terms, it’s software algorithms that take multiple pixels and create “superpixels”, which help maintain greater detail with less noise and improve low-light and nighttime photos.

A full-resolution image is so large that it’s 10MB when compressed (96MB when opened in a photo application on a computer). Having that level of detail allows you to zoom in and crop a photo on the Lumia 1020 in ways that just weren’t possible with other smartphones. The key there is that you lose the original image when you crop it, so that’s something to note. In addition, full-res photos can only be shared after you transfer them to a computer, and even then, the files are too big for email or social networks anyway. That’s the biggest reason why the 5-megapixel size is taken in tandem, since you can share that without running into any technical hurdles.

The consistency in performance and quality is what really stands out. Whether it’s bright daylight or a night setting, the Lumia 1020 outclasses other smartphone cameras. The level of detail, particularly in darker settings, is impressive, and this has as much to do with the image stabilization as it does with the other elements. The subject matter didn’t seem to be a problem, either, with people, objects, architecture and landscapes all looking good in test shots.

There are a few drawbacks and limitations to note here, however. The Lumia 1020 doesn’t shoot in burst mode, has no manual aperture setting, can’t snap still photos from a video and takes five seconds to reload after shooting at full-resolution. Macro shooting is also a bit off in that you can’t get that close to an object to shoot it up close.

The various camera apps might also be confusing. Some of these are called “lenses”, and though worth experimenting with, can have a bit of a learning curve. Nokia only last week merged the Pro Cam and Smart Cam apps together into what’s called “Nokia Camera”. The resulting fusion simplifies what was an otherwise confusing separation that wasn’t clearly defined out of the box. This way, it’s now easier to shoot using basic features or go to more advanced manual controls found in Pro Cam.

Given that this is a smartphone, the Lumia 1020 is a solid device — probably the best Windows Phone handset available today. Newcomers to the platform will have to contend with the unique design of the software, whereas previous users will feel right at home, and then some, thanks to the improved speed and performance on tap here. The operating system itself hasn’t really changed that much, so this phone has a distinctive mix of incremental improvements on the software side matched up with a major leap on the hardware side with the camera.

While this may not be the camera you use to shoot truly special moments or important gatherings, it more than makes up for other scenarios where a point-and-shoot would’ve been the go-to camera. That doesn’t mean that it’s better than compact digicams, just that it’s arguably the most competitive smartphone camera to take on that category. Indeed, the $70 Camera Grip accessory not only makes it look more like a camera, it also extends battery life by 50 percent.

Nokia has created something that works well out of the gate, even if the camera interface can use a little cleanup for the average user’s benefit. There are some elements of the phone that are a bit dated, but all in all, this is an ideal phone for anyone even remotely interested in photography, serious, amateur or novice.

The Lumia 1020 is available now in black or yellow from Telus and Rogers at $200 on a two-year contract or $700 outright.

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